Turning up the heat; Buffs first day in pads (Audio)

Garden City, Kan (westernkansasnews.com)-It’s no secret that some guys perform better without pads on. So when Garden City put them on on Thursday, there was definitely a sense of separation. 

“You could tell some of the younger guys were intimidated,” Head Coach Brian Hill said. “The veterans definitely had an advantage.”

You could tell that early on with the running game firing on all cylinders. On the first play of 11-on-11 in the second session, running back Jared Koster blew past the front seven on back-to-back long runs. But as practice wore on, the younger guys settled in. 

Quarterbacks 

Thursday was a run-heavy day for Hill’s bunch. Senior Peyton Hill completed his lone throw; Dylan Darter was 3-for-3 with a muffed exchanged, and Jessie Nunez misfired on his only attempt. 

“Each guy is getting better everyday,” Hill said. “That’s what we’re looking for.”

Still, it seems like the younger Hill might have a leg up. And not that warm-up throws are any indication, but the senior was pinpoint in between the two sessions; granted their was no pass rush and no coverage. 

Defensive secondary battle

One of the most underrated components of Dominick Dingle’s defense last year was the back end. Their secondary, although undersized, might have been the best in the Western Athletic Conference.

This season, Dingle will deploy a bunch of new faces, but one that’s stood out the first few days is Dakota Brungardt. The Junior picked off Nunez twice in a single session earlier this week. 

“We’ve got a lot of kids back there fighting for playing time,” Hill said. “I don’t think there’s one position that I could tell you today is going to have a starter. We have two or three guys battling for spots right now.”

Another steady force has been junior Gabe Otero, who made the transition from safety to corner. 

“He’s got a short memory,” Hill said. He’s aggressive, and he’s willing to take calculated risks.”

If you think back to last year, there were only two games that the secondary was beaten soundly: Maize and Derby (two of the better offenses in 6A). What’s in store this year??

Head Coach Brian Hill’s comments